Walking in the hills of Freiburg there was a sense of what this flat open valley city values most in life. Trees aren’t cut down so tourists can put pretty pictures in their albums, instead innocuous towers are built in strategic places so the albums will in the end be complete. The needle covered narrow pathways lead us scissor-like through the undulations preventing erosion and allowing access for all abilities. There are chairs so the [...]
Sandy and Yoli drove us high into the forested hills that look down on Munster. They took us to a large old farmhouse restaurant with rustic chairs and tables where a few ducks gathered in the vast lawns sweeping down into the woods below. It was a rare experience, as I would imagine to do this, you would need to know a local, and have a car - we had both. Sandy is a ‘way [...]
If you’re lucky to meet an English speaking Swiss couple in a park and start chatting, you might find out some secret information. We asked the hotel person, who said go to the rail people, who simply asked if we were old or students, and the information folk didn’t know. But our park adventurers did, and maybe you knew as well. “It’s the Post Office stupid” - that’s where you get a ‘24 hour rail [...]
The Matterhorn From the snowy white hump of Mount Blanc to the grey jagged edges of the Matterhorn, a contrast between mountains could not be more vivid. Walking up various paths gave us different perspectives on this thin, pyramid-like mountain floating in the clouds. Small pipes on the path side indicated where winter batons guide skiers on their much faster trajectory. Corrie was one of those graceful two bladed gliders so she saw the mountain [...]
Not quite in Switzerland but only a short bus ride away, and we'll be in Lausanne tomorrow. Now we're in the famous French Alpine village of Chamonix. It is resting in the bowl of the Mont Blanc and friends' mountain range. At just under 5000 metres, I believe it is the highest mountain of the Alps. From Aosta we bussed up to around 3000 of them, chair-lifted up to about 4000, then walked around the [...]
I will now post each time we visit a new place. Posting times will be between 2-4 days and can be accessed on the home page link 'Switzerland 2017'. Photos may be delayed as the mountains appear to be delaying their transfer from iPhone to iPad. Talk soon Will
The Aosta valley villages wove into each other on a cloud shaded day. A friendly Frenchman joined us for our first few kms beside the grape vines, through the forests and along a variety of paths, as the sun peaked out at us a few short times. Last year we began our walk on the Via Francigena at the edge of the Aosta valley, and this is where the major part of our walking ends. [...]
The long gentle downhill slopes continue along shady pine needle paths. Our pace is closely mimicked by a small canal streamed off to follow the same contours. This gentle slope allows a metre wide and deep waterway to feed the pastures below, and remains true to us on our small path for many kms. Eventually we dip down from our 500 metre high valley edge through these watered pastures, their towering irrigation sprays offering us [...]
It was not far off t-shirt weather, an Alps' chill not able to compete with our brisk walking. Walking down now past some over-keen day explorers, who ran past us as cars swerved and jumped over safety barriers, reminded us once again to take care when it's not our playground. Our two Aussie friends and us walked single file on a busy road as the immediate track was dangerously slippery. Lisa, looking back, commented that [...]
A continual climb today from around 1400 metres to 2480 metres, through the heart of the Alps, hardly a need for signs anymore. The track is narrow but their are no points where walkers would have to decide on an alternative route. A young Swiss woman with her guitar and two Australians - an eighty year old with his daughter - were the only others walking to the top. A very enthusiastic young Swiss girl, [...]
